Puri Custodial Death: SP Apprises HC On Probe Progress

Cuttack: Puri Superintendent of Police (SP) Kanwar Vishal Singh on Monday submitted a counter affidavit before the Orissa High Court on the progress of investigation in the alleged custodial death of one K Ramesh.

The SP apprised the court that the Odisha Government has sanctioned Rs 5 lakh interim compensation to the next of the kin of the deceased, as per the suggestion of the court.

Singh has informed the court that the parents of the deceased are not in police custody or any forced confinement and there are no allegations that they have been subjected to any misbehaviour or ill-treatment or threatening. Any assertion to the contrary is not substantiated and does not appear to be correct, the affidavit stated.

Singh told the court that some persons have moved Odisha Human Rights Commission and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The NHRC has registered a case and appointed retired IAS officer Vinod Aggarwal, Special Rapporteur (East Zone) to visit the place of incident, inquire into the matter and submit a report within four weeks.

Apart from NHRC’s inquiry two other independent and impartial inquiries are currently on into the death, the SP said adding that while a local judicial magistrate is conducting a judicial inquiry, the district Human Rights Protection Cell (HRPC) headed by a DSP is probing the incident.

The court has fixed the next date of hearing in the matter for December 28.